okay so today marks day day six of anti-viral meds for my shingles. i may as well be popping flintstones vitamins because the meds don’t seem to be doing shit. my doctor told me that the anti-viral meds are usually only effective if taken within 72 hours of the onset of a shingles infection. my pain started on a sunday but the rash didn’t start until the wednesday after that so i’m pretty sure i missed that 72 hour window of opportunity. fuck. each morning i wake up with more blisters than i went to bed with, and each night i go to bed with more blisters than i started with at the beginning of the day. i called the doctor today and told her that the rash was worse and that the darvocet wasn’t helping so she called in a prescription for vicodin for me. hopefully that helps….so far, it hasn’t.
okay so now for the nastiness….
this is what i looked like on wednesday morning when i woke up…
not too bad, right?
and this is what i looked like today when i woke up, after six days of anti-viral meds…
and yes, the blisters go all the way around to my breast bone. hot stuff, huh?
i’m still trying to figure out what i did to piss off the universe so badly. if someone told me i could get rid of this by smearing my own feces on my skin, i would. if anyone has any suggestions on ways to get even the tiniest amount of relief from the pain i’m in right now, please don’t hesitate to contact me!
I too missed the 72 hour window for the meds. I got shingles over 6 months ago on my back and stomach. I’m still having some pain but the Lyrica is helping. My doctor wouldn’t give me any kind of strong pain mediciation. He gave me a patch called Lidoderm. I don’t want to scare you but the pain is going to last longer than you think and be more severe. The Lidoderm helped me the most after the blisters started to heal. It kept my clothes from rubbing my skin. It will get better but it is a very slow process.
yikes! did it scar? i’ll have to ask my doctor about the lidoderm patch. thanks for the input
Your Welcome and Yes, I have some scars but they are fading. I think they will fade completely over time. If you need something for sleep Ambien CR works good. I will tell you anything about my shingles so don’t be afraid to ask. It’s off to work now.
I also wanted to say I hope you are lucky and don’t get the Postherpetic Neuralgia like me. 1in about 5 people that get shingles and don’t get treatment fast get it. It’s where the pain last after the shingles have healed. If you go on Lyrica watch out because it will make you gain weight. I gained 25 lbs. Now I better get ready for work.
yeow. poor shanna! sorry you have to be in so much pain
thanks, ladies
Oh, sweet Shanna, I’m so sorry. Hope things start to look up soon. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything.
Hey bellamargot!
Im going through the same exact experience as you
I wonder why we are getting it at such a young age!